Self-adjusting finger ring having spring biased pivoted members



Jan. 22, 1957 THALER TING FINGER RING HAVING SELFADJUS SPRING BIASED PIVOTED MEMBERS Filed Dec. 18, 1953 INVENTOR.

LEO I THALER fiin r M F' l G. 5

A TTORNE Y5 United States Patent SELF-ADJUSTIN G FINGER RING HAVING SPRING BKASED PIVOTED Leo Thaler, Great Neck, N. Y., assignor to J. Fiddelman & Son, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 18, 1953, Serial No. 399,057 9 Claims. (Cl. 6315.6)

1 less than the distance between Other objects of the invention as well as the advantages and novel features of construction thereof will become apparent from a perusal of the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is an elevational view, partly in section, of a finger ring constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 22.0f Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the self-adjusting mechanism contained in the ring of Fig; 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of one of the sliding plates of the self adjusting mechanism;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view in section of a modified form of housing for the spring assembly'of the self-adjusting mechanism; I

Fig. 6 is a partial elevational view of a ring provided with a modified form of self-adjusting mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is' a perspective view of another modified form 0f one of the sliding plates in the self-adjusting mechanism.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates generally a continuous ring band defining a substantially circular finger receiving opening 11. I The band 10 may be provided with an integral decorative head 12 or mounting for stones 13. An elongated recess 14 formed in the band 10 communicates with the finger receiving opening. As shown more clearly in Fig. l of the drawings, the central portion of the recess is in the region of the head or mounting 12. The ends of recess 14 extend from the head down the sides of the band so that such recess defines an arc of more than 180 degrees. The ends of the recess 14 may taper inwardly toward the inner surface of the band 10, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Located in the central portion of the recess 14 is a housing 15 shaped in the form of a segment of the recess 14 and comprising an arc-shaped outer wall having an elongated central opening 17 so that the longitudinal edges 16, 16 of such wall provide spaced guide rails to guide the movements of a pair minimum of friction. Disposed at right angles to the outer wall of the housing are side walls 19, 19. Connected to the central portion of the lower edges of the side walls 19, 19 is an inner wall 20 having a length substantially less than the length of such lower side wall edges. The sliding plates 18, 18 are located between the outer and inner walls and each includes an upright body member or wall which is substantially rectangular in form and has a height slightly less than the distance be- 23, 23 between the side walls 19,

H embers will project of sliding plates 18, 18 with a Patented Jan. 22, 1957 tween such outer and inner Walls and a width slightly the side walls 19, 19 of the housing. Integral with the upright wall of each sliding plate is a foot member 21 which seats on an end portion of the inner wall 20. The foot member 21 is substantially rectangularly-shaped, has a width substantially the same as that of the upright wall and a length sutficient to give the plate 18 a firm footing on the inner wall 20. Located within the housing 15 is a coiled spring 22, the ends of which engage with the upright walls of the plates 18. The spring 22 maintains the sliding plates 18, 18 in spaced relation and yieldingly resists movement of such plates toward each other. Pivotally connected at one end to the inner edge portions of the side walls 19, 19 beyond the ends of the inner wall 20 are apair of movable members 25, 25. The pivotal connection of each member 25 may be accomplished by a pin 26 which extends through a transverse opening 27 provided in such member and aligned openings 28,28 provided in the side walls 19, 19. The parts are so constructed that each member may be readily moved about its pivotal axis. The movable members 25 are each provided at the upper end above the pivotal axis of such member with a substantially triangularlyshaped cam member 29 the apex of which slidingly engages the outer surface of the upright wall of one of the sliding plates 18. Below the pivotal axis of each movable member 25, is located the body portion of such member. The body portion of each member 25 is arcuatelyshaped and configured to be readily received in the adjacent portion of recess 14. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the upper portion of the body of each member 25 is normally'contained in the recess 14, while the lower portion of such body extends into the finger receive opening 11 under the influence of spring 22. The inner side wall 30 of each member 25, particularly in the lower portion thereof is smoothly formed so that there are present no sharp edges upon which a wearer can injure the ring finger.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the selfadjusting mechanism is a unitary device separate from the band 10, and the separate elements thereof are mounted on or in the housing 15. The housing 15 may be so formed with relation t'o'the central portion of the recess 14 that its side Walls 19, 19 engage the side walls of thearecess with such a snug fit that when the housing is inserted in the recess it will remain in stationary position Within the recess until positively removed therefrom. The housing 15 may also be permanently secured in position in'the recess by other means, such as the solder 19 of the housing 15, and the inner sidewalls; of the recess 14 (note Fig. 2) or by the use of rivets at such places. When the housing is properly positioned inthe recess, the lower wall 20 thereof is substantially flush with the inner wall of the ring'band 10. It will be observed from Fig.- 1 of the drawings, that the spring 22, through the upright walls of the plates 18 and the cam members 29 of the movable members 25, will normally bias such members 25 about their pivotal axes so thatthe lower portions of such into thefinger receiving opening 11. Thelower ends of the movable members 25 are approximately diametrically opposite each other and are almost fully removed from the recess 14 in the normal condition of the parts. When a finger having a transverse dimension greater than the distance between the lower ends of the movable members 25 is inserted into the finger receiving opening 11, such lower ends are moved outwardly. into the adjacent portions of the recess 14 against'the tension of spring 22. When the members :25 are shes d abeatth P ta a e heses members 29, 29 thereof will press on the upright walls of the sliding members 18, 18 and cause such members 18, 18 to slide toward each other and compress the spring 22 The spring 22 will yieldingly resist the sliding movement of the members 18, 18 and the pivotal movement of the members 25, 25*and when the inserted finger no longer moves the lower ends of members 25, 25 outwardly, will cause such members 25, 25 to bear with a gentle pressure on the finger so as to retain the band 10 securely in position thereon. 1

While I have hereinabove described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, the recess 14 may be shorter or longer than that depicted in the drawings and may have any suitable shape dependent upon the shape of the housing or housings, as will hereinafter appear, and of the movable members. The upright walls of the slidable members 18, 18 may be provided at their upper ends with books, such as the book 33 shown on the slidable member 18' in Fig. 4 of the drawings, to engage with the apexes of the cam members 29 of members 25 to limit the pivotal movements of members 25, 25 about their axes in directions which move the lower ends of such members into the finger receiving opening 11. The books 33 offer no interference however, with the outward movement of the lower ends of members 25, 25 into the adjacent portions of the recess 14.

The slidable members may also be provided intermediate the heights of their upright walls and preferably a distance equal to one-third of the heights of such walls from the top edges of such Walls, with a hook suchas the hook 33 shown on the slidable member 18' in Fig. 4 of the drawings, or a slot or groove such as the groove 34 shown on the slidable member 18" illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings. It will be noted from this figure that the upper wall 34' of the groove extends at right angles to the upright wall of slidable member 18", while the lower wall of the groove is inclined with relation to such upright wall. It will be understood from the foregoing that in the normal functioning of the self-adjusting mechanism, the apexes of cam members 29, 29 will slidably move downwardly on the upright walls of the slidable members as the movable members 25, 25 are forced outwardly and into the recess 14 by the insertion of a finger into a band 10. When the apexes of the members 29, 29 move down to the extent that they engage with the grooves 34 of the slidable members, the movable members 25, 25 will be retained in retracted or outward position despite the action of spring 22. In fact, when once the apexes are engaged in such grooves the action of spring 22 will tend to retain them in such retained condition until positively removed therefrom. The grooves 34 should preferably be so located in the upright walls of the slidable members that when the apexes of members 29 are latched therewith, the movable members 25,

25 are substantially completely contained within the recess 14, out of position to be engaged by the normal insertion of a finger in the finger receiving opening 11. Thus, the members 25, 25 may be intentionally pressed and locked in retracted position in the recess 14. When it is again desired that the movable members 25 project into the finger receiving opening 11, they can be released by inserting any pointed object, such as a pin, between the movable members 25, 25 and the inner wall of the recess 14 and exerting a slight pressure to force such movable members inwardly until the apexes of the cam members 29, 29 thereof are released from the grooves of the slidable members. 7 Thus, with this construction, the wearer is enabled to dispense temporarily or permanently with the use of the selfeadjusting mechanism without removing it from the ring. It will be understood also that the slidable members may be provided with both the hooks 33 and the hooks or grooves 34 to provide the self- 4 adjusting mechanism with the combined advantages of such elements.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings,

the housing 15 is constructed so that it is divided into' two symmetrical parts by a wall 35. In this construction, the parts are similar to that described in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, except that the spring 22 which controls the sliding plates 18 and the movable members 25 is replaced by two springs 36, 36 each of which at the inner end bears against the wall or partition 35. This construction enables the accomplishment of completely independent operation of the two movable members 25, 25. In all other respects the construction of Fig. 5 is similar to and operates in the same manner as the construction of Figs. 1 to 3.

The essential features of construction of the selfadjusting mechanism hereinabove described are also present in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, but in this embodiment such mechanism is divided into two units with the movable members located in the central portion of the .recess so that their free finger engaging ends are positioned adjacent to one another in the. region of the head or mounting of the ring band. As shown in Fig. 6, the recess 14' does not have ends of tapered configuration as in the recess 14, but terminates at its diametrically disposed ends in shoulders 40, 40. In this construction, the housing 15 of Fig. 1 is divided into two separate parts and each half 41, 41 is located in an end portion of the recess 14' so that the spring 42 thereof bears at one end on a shoulder 40 and the other end bears on the upright wall of sliding plate 18. The plate 18 of each of these divided units is positioned in the housing half 41 so that its footing 21 is directed toward the shoulder 40. The outer wall 16', side walls 19' and inner wall 20 of each housing half 41 are similar in construction and arrangement to the walls 16, 19 and 20, respectively, of housing 15 except that they constitute one-half of the latter; The movable members 25 in this embodiment are directed toward each other and are biased by the springs 42, 42 through the sliding plates 18, 18 and their cam-shaped ends engaging such plates so that their free finger engaging ends are normally projecting into the finger receiving opening of the band in the same manner as in the construction of Figs. 1 to 3. The two units constituting the self-adjusting mechanism are so constructed and arranged, that the free finger engaging ends of the members 25 are located at the central portion of recess 14' adjacent to one another and consequently will be actuated by the top of an inserted finger instead of the side portions thereof as with the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.

In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that I intend to cover all modifications of the invention which come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A finger ring comprising a band defining a finger receiving opening, said band having an elon gated recess extending circumferentially of the band and throughout a substantial portion thereof and communicating with said opening, a housing positioned in a portion of said recess and extending lengthwise of the recess, a member 'slidably mounted in said housing for slidable movement lengthwise of said housing and said recess, resilient means located in said housing disposed lengthwise of said recess and engaging one side of said slidable member to bias the same toward one end of said housing, a movable member pivotally mounted on said housing for movement about a fixed axis, said movable member having a cam-shaped end on one side of said axis slidingly engaging an opposite side of said slidable member and having a free finger engaging end on the other side of said axis, said movable member extending substantially lengthwise of a portion of said recess and being receivable in said portion of the recess, the finger engaging end of said movable member normally projecting into the finger receiving opening of said band under the influence of said resilient means through said slidable member on the cam-shaped end of said movable member and such finger engaging end being retractable about said fixed axis against the yielding pressure of said resilient means on said slidable member and such cam-shaped end.

2. A finger ring comprising a band defining a finger receiving opening, said band having an elongated recess extending circumferentially of the band and throughout a substantial portion thereof and communicating with said opening, a housing positioned in stationary relation on a portion of said recess and extending lengthwise of the recess, a slidable member located in said housing, said housing including means for guiding said slidable member in its sliding movements lengthwise of said housing and said recess, a coiled spring located in said housing disposed lengthwise of said recess and having one end thereof engaging one upright side of said slidable member to bias the same toward one end of said housing, a movable member pivotally mounted on said housing for movement about a fixed axis, said movable member having a cam-shaped end on one side of said axis slidingly engaging an opposite side of said slidable member and having a free finger engaging end on the other side of said axis, said movable member extending substantially lengthwise of a portion of said recess and being receivable in said portion of the recess, the finger engaging end of said movable member normally projecting into the finger receiving opening of said band under the influence of said coiled spring through said slidable mem ber on the cam-shaped end of said movable member and such finger engaging end being retractable about said fixed axis against the yielding pressure of said spring on said slidable member and such cam-shaped end.

3. A finger ring comprising a band defining a finger receiving opening, said bandhaving an elongated recess extending circumferentially of the band and throughout a substantial portion thereof and communicating with said opening, a housing positioned in a portion of said recess and extending lengthwise of the recess and having side, outer and inner walls defining a chamber, the inner wall of said housing being shorter than said side walls and having an end located in spaced relation from one end of said side walls, a plate-like member slidably mounted in the chamber of said housing for sliding movement lengthwise of said housing and said recess and having an upright wall, a coiled spring located in said chamber disposed lengthwise of said recess and having one end thereof engaging the inner side of the upright wall of said slidable member to bias said member toward said end of said side walls, a movable member, means for pivotally mounting said member on said end of said side walls beyond said end of said inner wall for movement about a fixed axis, said movable member having a cam-shaped end on one side of said axis slidingly engaging the outer side of the upright wall of said slidable member and having a free finger engaging end on the other side of said axis, said movable member ex tending substantially lengthwise of a portion of said recess and being receivable in said portion of the recess, the finger engaging end of said movable member normally projecting into the finger receiving opening under the influence of said coiled spring through said slidable member on the cam-shaped end of said movable member and such finger engaging end being retractable about said fixed axis against the yielding pressure of said spring on said slidable member and such cam-shaped end.

4. A finger ring such as defined in claim 3 in which the upright wall on said slidable member is provided with means on the outer edge thereof to limit the sliding movement of the cam-shaped end of said movable member in one direction and thereby to limit the projection of the finger engaging end of said movable member into the finger receiving opening of said band.

5. A finger ring comprising a band defining a finger receiving opening, said band having an elongated recess extending circumferentially of the band and throughout a substantial portion thereof and communicating with said opening, housing means positioned in said recess and extending lengthwise of the recess, a plurality of members slidably mounted in said housing means for slidable movement lengthwise of said housing means and said recess, resilient means located in said housing means disposed lengthwise of said recess and constructed and arranged to engage one side of said slidable members and to bias the samein opposite, directions, a plurality of movable members pivotally mounted on said housing means for movements about fixed axes, each of said movable members having a cam-shaped end on one side of its associated axis slidingly engaging an opposite side of one of said slidable members and having a free finger engaging end on the other side of its associated axis, said movable members extending substantially lengthwise of said recess and being receivable in said recess, the finger engaging ends of said movable members normally projecting into the finger receiving opening of said band under the influence of said resilient means through said slidable members on the cam-shaped ends of said movable members and said finger engaging ends being retractable about the fixed axes thereof against the yielding pressure of said resilient means on said slidable members and such cam-shaped ends.

6. A finger ring comprising a band defining a finger receiving opening, said band having an elongated recess extending circumferentially of the band and throughout a substantial portion thereof and communicating with said opening, a housing located in the central portion of said recess and extending lengthwise of the recess, a plurality of members slidably mounted in said housing for slidable movement lengthwise of the same and said recess, spring means located in said housing between said slidable members disposed lengthwise of said recess and engaging opposed inner sides of said slidable members to bias the same away from each other, a plurality of movable members pivotally mounted on said housing for movements about fixed axes, said movable members having cam-shaped inner ends disposed in opposed relation to each other and slidingly engaging outer sides of said slidable members and said movable mem bers having free finger engaging ends disposed in opposed relation to each other, said movable members extending substantially lengthwise of said recess and being receivable in the end portions of said recess, the finger engaging ends of said movable members normally projecting into the finger receiving opening of said band under the influence of said spring means through said slidable members on the cam-shaped inner ends of said movable members and said finger engaging ends being retractable about the fixed axes thereof against the yielding pressure of said spring means on said slidable mem bers and said cam-shaped inner ends.

7. A finger ring such as defined in claim 6, in which said housing is provided with a centrally located partition between said slidable members and in which said spring means comprises a pair of coiled springs, one end of each of said springs bearing on one face of said partition and the other end of each of said springs bearing on an inner side of one of said slidable members.

8. A finger ring comprising a band defining a finger receiving opening, said band having an elongated recess extending circumferentially of the band and throughout a substantial portion thereof and with said opening, the ends of said recess and extending lengthwise of the recess having transverse end walls,ta pair of housings located in spaced relation at the ends of said recess with one end thereof adjacent to said recess end walls, a slidable member mounted in each housing for slidable movement lengthwise of the same and said recess, a coiled spring positioned between each communicating slidable member and a recess end wall disposed lengthwise of said recess and having one end bearing on a side ofsuch slidable member and the other end thereof bearing on said recess end wall to normally bias said slidable member away from such end wall, a movable member pivotally mounted on each housing for movement about a fixed axis, said movable members having camshaped ends disposed in opposed relation to each other and slidingly engaging opposed sides of said slidable members, and said movable members having free finger engaging ends disposed in opposed relation to each other, said movable members extending substantially lengthwise of said recess and being receivable in the central portion of said recess, the finger engaging ends of said movable members normally projecting into the finger 15 receiving opening ofsaid band under the influence of said coiled springs through said slidable members on the cam-shaped ends of said movable members and said mass?" finger engaging ends being retractable about the fixed axes thereof against the yielding pressure of said coiled 10 said movable member in a retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 290,590 Lettre Dec. 18, 1883 1,096,690 Derbyshire May 12, 1914 1,641,575 Cibor Sept. 6, 1927 2,615,314 Axel Oct, 28, 1952 

